Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the essential oils of five Tunisian aromatic plants

The oil composition of five aromatic plants with commercial importance in Tunisia were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Mentha longifolia L. and Mentha pulegium L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Eugenia caryophyllata (Syzgium aromaticum L.) and Thymus vulgaris L. exhibited high levels of antimicrobial activity against thirteen Vibrio alginolyticus strains (100% for thyme and clove oil and 92.3% for the other oils). These oils reduced the DPPH. radical more effectively than the synthetic antioxidant (tert-butylated hydroxytoluene: BHT IC50 = 11.5 mu g mL(-1)). The results show that these plants, especially rosemary, thyme and clove, can be practical in cooking to protect against contamination by marine V. alginolyticus.